Adhesive applying mechanism



Feb. 15, 1938. RlDER 2,108,613

ADHESIVE APPLYING MECHANISM Filed June 22, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 lll 1NVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Feb. 15, 1938. E. e. RIDER ADHESIVE APPLYING MECHANISM Filed June 22,1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 6km k4 M ATTORNEY.

Feb. 15, 1938. E. e. RIDER 2,108,613

ADHESIVE APPLYING MECHANISM Filed June 22, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 5INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Feb. 15, 1938. E. e. RIDER ADHESIVE APPLYING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Filed June 22, 1956 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Stokes and SmithCompany,

Summerdale,

Philadelphia, Pa", a corporation of Pennsyl- Vania Application June 22,1936, Serial No. 86,604

11 Claims.

My invention relates to mechanism for applying adhesive to wrappers,labels, sheets or the like, and particularly to arrangements for supporting and feeding a stack of wrappers or labels.

In accordance with my invention, the plunger or equivalent which liftsthe stack of sheets into operative relation with a sheet-removing deviceis adapted to rise between the rails of a trackway for a carriagestructure which, during the depletion of one stack of sheets by thesheet-removing device, supports another stack of sheets ready for useand which, when the plunger is lowered, may be moved along the trackwayto bring the second stack into position above the plunger.

l5 More specifically, and in one modification of my invention, thesheets of the stack while on the carriage structure are inclined in onedirection and, when lifted from the carriage by the plunger, are shiftedto incline in another direc- 20 tion.

Preferably, in the two forms of my invention specifically disclosed, thecarriage structure comprises two trucks, one for each rail, connected bya cross-member which insures movement of the 25 trucks as a unit alongthe trackway, but which permits the trucks to be separated when therails are moved toward or from each other to accommodate the arrangementfor stacks of different widths; more specifically, the rails areadjustable 30 toward and away from each other by a single operatingmember.

Further in accordance with my invention, the carriage structure isprovided with guides which hold the edges of the sheets of the stack inalign- 35 ment while on, and during movement with, the carriage;preferably, the guide members are mounted upon the trucks so that theymove to proper position for different widths of wrappers concurrentlywith adjustment of the rails.

40 Also in accordance with my invention, guide members for the forwardedges of the sheets in the stack are carried by the rails at theplungerloading position of the carriage, so that, upon adjustment of therails for different widths of 45 sheets, the guide members are by thesame adjustment moved to proper position.

Further, in accordance with my invention, there are provided guidemembers for the rear edge or rear corners of the stack which are out 50of the path of the stack while it is on the carriage, but which engagethe stack when lifted by the plunger.

My invention also resides in the features of combination, constructionand arrangement here- 55 inafter described.

For an understanding of my invention, refer ence is to be had to theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, and partsomitted, of a sheet-apply- 5 ing mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view on enlarged scale with parts insection and parts broken away of stack-elevating mechanism for themachine of Fig. 1; 10

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the control mechanism for thestack-elevating mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the re-loading arrangement shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view, partly in section, of Fig. 5;

Figs. 6 and '7 disclose a modification of the re-loading arrangementshown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The adhesive-applying mechanism G shown in Fig. 1 is generally similarto the mechanism disclosed in Rider Patents Nos. 1,806,181, 1,857,260and Nitsch et al. Patent No. 1,684,741. Briefly, once for each cycle ofoperation of the mechanism G, a wrapper or sheet is removed from thepile or stack S by mechanism including the suction roll I and tongue 2and brought into engagement with the feeding rolls 3, 4, which transportit to the adhesive-applying roll 5. To'prevent the sheet from slippingback toward the pile after it has been raised therefrom by tongue 2,there is provided an apertured pipe 65 extending transversely of the topof the stack' S through which suction provided by pump 99 iscontinuously exerted. The strippers 6 deflect the wrapper from the roll5 onto the endless belt I of the conveyor C.

When tabbed wrappers are desired, the tabbing mechanism T, more fullydescribed in the aforesaid Rider patents, is brought into operation. 40Briefly, tabs are severed by the knives 8 from the strips 9 of tabbingmaterial, the tabs receiving anadhesive coating by their engagement withthe roll 10 from which they are deflected by the strippers I 1 onto theadhesive roller 5 where they meet the wrappers during application ofadhesive thereto by roller 5. When unwrapped boxes are to be made fromunstayed box blanks, the feed of the wrappers is disabled so that onlytabs are fed to the conveyor C.

To prevent adherence of the wrappers or tabs to the take-off blades orstrippers 6, there are disposed adjacent thereto the toothed wheels ordisks l2 for holding the wrappers or tabs against the receiving end ofthe conveyor belt C. The

wheels I2, only one of which appears in Fig. 1,. are essentiallyduplicates and are adjustably carried by the arms l3 rotatable withshaft I4 which is supported by brackets I5 secured to or otherwiseintegral with the throw-back frame, more fully disclosed in FederwitzPatent No. 1,741,412, for the nose |5C of conveyor C.

The mechanism for controlling the operation of suction roll I and tongue2 and for automatically elevating the stack of sheets to maintain thetop of the stack substantially always in the same position is shown indetail in Figs. 2 and 3.

The cam I6 which makes one revolution for each cycle of the machine isprovided with a track I! for engaging the cam follower I8 carried by thelever IS. The upper end of lever |9 is connected by link 20 to thecarriage 2| upon which is mounted the tongue 2 and supporting bracket 22to which is pivotally connected the arm 23 carrying the suction roll I.The rolls 24, rotatable about shafts mounted on carriage 2|, engageguide members 25 to provide for linear reciprocation of the carriage 2|as lever I9 is oscillated by cam I6.

The gear 26 fixed to the shaft supporting the suction roll I is in meshwith the inclined rack 21 so that, as the carriage 2| moves to the left,Fig. 2, the suction roll I is rotated in counterclockwise direction andconcurrently lifted away from the top of the stack to lift the frontedge of the top sheet of the stack.

As the carriage 2| continues its travel to the left, Fig, 2, the bar 28secured to the carriage depresses the arm 29 to open the bleeder valve30 which is interposed between the suction roll I and the suction pump3| (Fig. 1). The separated sheet is thus relieved of suction and fallsupon tongue 2. Continued movement of the carriage 2| to the left, Fig.1, brings the forward edge of the sheet between the driving feed roll 3and the idler feed roll 4 supported by carriage 2|. The sheet is thenfed to the adhesive-applying roll 5, as previously described, and thecarriage 2| is returned by cam I6 to its initial position.

Upon the bar 32 (Fig. 3) of the carriage 2| are mounted bearings 33 forthe shaft 34 to which is secured the arm 35 and the feeler orstack-comtacting member 36. Secured at one end to the pin 31 on bar 32and at its other end to arm 38 secured to shaft 34, is a spring 39 whichbiases shaft 34 for movement in clockwise direction. As the carriageapproaches the limit of its travel to the left, (Fig. 3) the arm 35engages the stationary guide plate 88 (Fig. 2) and rocks the feeler 38toward engagement with the top of the stack S.

Pivotally mounted to a side of the machine (Fig. 3) is a lever 4| whichmay be rocked in clockwise direction by arm 38, as hereinafterdescribed. The lever 4| is provided with a step 42 engaging the end of alever 43 pivoted at 44 to the frame of the machine and which,intermediate its ends, is pivotally connected to the vertically movablebar 45.

So long as the stack is of proper height, the feeler 36 each time it isrocked, as above described, engages the top of the stack and arrestsmovement of arm 38 before lever 4| is engaged or moved by arm 38sufliciently to release lever 43, thus maintaining the bar 45 in theposition shown in Fig. 3. When, however, the stack height falls belowthe desired level, the lever 4| is actuated by arm 38, during each cycleof the machine, to release bar 45. Upon its release, the bar 45 is moveddownwardly as by spring 46 to cause an upward movement of the stack S,as hereinafter described. The bar 45 is reset in each cycle by the cam41 which is carried by bar 28 movable with carriage 2| (Fig. 3) andwhich engages the roller 48 on bar 45.

The supporting plunger 8| for the stack S is provided with a rack inmesh with gear 48 secured to the same shaft as gear '49 which, in turn,is in mesh with gear 50 secured to the same shall as ratchet wheel 5|.The plate member 52 which carries the driving pawl 8| for ratchet wheel5| is mounted co-axially with the ratchet wheel. One end of link 53 ispivotally connected to plate 52 and the other end is connected to member54 having therein a slot 55 which receives a pin 58 at the lower end oflever I9. The length of the Slot is such that when plate 52 is in theposition shown, the pin 56, during oscillation of lever l9, does notengage the ends of the slot.

The plate 52 is held in the position shown in Fig. 2 against the bias ofspring 51 by engagement of the latch member 58 with the extension 59 ofplate 52.

When the stack S is not or proper height and bar 45 falls, as abovedescribed, the tripping member 50, movable with bar 45, engages androcks the latch 58, permitting plate 52 to swing in clockwise directionand effect engagement between the end of the slot 55 and pin 56. When,therefore, lever I9 next moves in clockwise direction, its movement istransmitted throughlink 53, plate 52, pawl 8|, ratchet wheel 5| andgears 48, 49 and 50 to effect elevation of the stack-supporting plunger8|.

The latch 58 is reset in each cycle by the spring 52 which may alsoserve as the biasing spring for the locking pawl 83 for the ratchetwheel 5|. So long as the stack is not of suflicient height, the bar 45falls in each cycle to trip latch 58 and cause an upward movement ofplunger 8|. Each time the stack attains proper height, the feeler 38 nolonger causes bar 45 to fall and the stackfeeding operation isdiscontinued until the stack height again falls below the desired level.

When the adhesive-applying unit G is associated with a wrapping machineoperating at high speed, producing, for'example, substantially in excessof 20 boxes per minute, the stack of wrappers S is rapidly depleted.Inasmuch as the wrapping machine must be idle during the time requiredto replenish the supply of wrappers for the adhesive-applying unit, itis desirable that provision be made to allow a new stack of sheets to beput in place in the least possible time.

As shown In Figs. 1 and 4, the stack of wrappers S rests upon aremovable board or plate 18 which, in turn, is supported by the bars I9pivotally mounted upon the support 80 which is fastened to the upper endof the plunger 8|.

When the stack is depleted, the board 18 is removed by an operator andthe plunger 8| is lowered approximately to the dotted line positionshown in Fig. 1. The two rail members 82, one on either side of theplunger 8|, serve as a track for the two trucks 83 upon which rests theboard 18a supporting another stack of sheets SI. The guide members 84,adjustably secured to the truck members and extending upwardlytherefrom, embrace the rear corners of the stack of sheets properly toalign the stack. At least one of the front corners of the stack may beengaged, if desired, as by removable guide member 85.

After the stack S has been depleted and the plunger 8| lowered to theaforesaid, plunger-loading position, the temporary guides 85 are removedand then the trucks are pushed forward until the front edge of the stackengages the guide plate or member 86 of the gluing machine. Then theplunger 8| is raised to lift the board 18 from the trucks 83 and tobring the top corners of the stack into engagement with the guidemembers 81 carried by the bracket 88 adjustably secured to thesupporting bar 89; The trucks 83 can then be returned to the positionshown in Figs. 1 and 4' to receive another stack of sheets. Each of theguide members 81 forms a trihedral angle receiving a top corner of therear of the stack.

As shown more clearly in Fig. 5, the two rails 82 are mounted upon asupporting member 98, provided with guides 9| for the slidable basemembers 92 of the rails 82. By turning of the handle 93 at the end ofthe threaded shaft 94, the two rail members 82 are simultaneously movedtoward or away from each other and symmetrically with respect to themedian line of the machine thus to accommodate the loading system forwrappers of different length. This adjustment concurrently changes theseparation between the trucks 83, the distance between the stack guidingmembers 84 on the trucks, and the distance between the stack guidingmembers 95 attached to the forward ends of rails 82 to maintainalignment of the front edge of the stack during its upward feed by theplunger 8|.

Preferably, as shown, a bar 96 secured to one of the trucks 83, passesthrough the frame of the other truck so that they are movable as a unittoward and from the loading position above plunger 8| though separatelymovable toward, or away from, each other during rotation of handle 93.

With this arrangement, whenever the stack S is depleted, there is alwaysready another stack, properly aligned, for movement into loadingposition to be fed by the stack-elevating mechanism. Thus there isavoided need to discontinue operation of the box-wrapping machine whilea-stack of sheets is being put into position and manipulated to bringall the wrappers and labels of the stack into proper position; further,an operator, while one stack is being fed to the glue roll, is free toprepare an auxiliary stack for quick reloading. In the course of a day'srun, it is necessary many times to replenish the stack of wrappers, andthe time'saved by the aforesaid construction is equal to the time duringwhich a large number of boxes can be made.

In the modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7, each of the trucks 83 isprovided with a block 91, or equivalent, near the forward end thereof toincline the board 18a. As shown, the front edge of each sheet of thestack is higher than the rear edge and this relation maintains when thetrucks are moved to bring the stack above the support 80, Fig. 7, withthe forward edges of the sheets against stationary stack guides 95 andguideplate 86.

The supporting member is inclined in the opposite direction, itsforward, or left edge, as viewed in Figs. 6 and '7, being substantiallylower than its rear edge. Hence, as the stack is raised by member 80,the inclination of the sheets is changed from downward from the forwardedge to upward from the forward edge. This change of inclination loosensthe sheets in the stack and facilitates their subsequent removal, one ata time, by the roll I and tongue 2. With this modification, there is noneed for the operator to shake or jostle the stack to loosen the sheetsbefore placing the stack on the trucks 83. Furthermore, the finalinclination of the sheets is such that they tend to slide toward plate86 which aligns their forward edges.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus comprising mechanism for removing sheets from a stackthereof, and a plunger for raising the stackadjacent said mechanism,means detachable from said plunger for holding a stack of sheetsinclined in one direction from horizontal when free of said plunger, anda support movable with said plunger inclined in a direction differentfrom said first direction to loosen the sheets.

2. In apparatus comprising mechanism for removing sheets from a stackthereof, and a plunger for raising the stack adjacent said mechanism, atrackway extending to the path of said plunger, structure for supportinga stack of sheets inclined in one direction from horizontal and movablealong said trackway, and structure movable I with said plunger forchanging the inclination of said stack as it is raised by the plunger.

3. In apparatus comprising mechanism for removing sheets from a stackthereof, and a plunger for raising the stack adjacent said mechanism, apair of rails, one on either side of the path of said plunger, carriagestructure movable along said rails to transport a stack of sheets toloading position above said plunger, and means for adjusting said railstoward or from each other.

4. In apparatus comprising mechanism for removing sheets from a stackthereof, and a plunger for raising the stack adjacent said mechanism, apair of rails, one on either side of the path of said plunger, a pair oftrucks, one on each of said rails, a member bridging said trucks tosupport a stack of sheets for transport to loading position above saidplunger, and means for concurrently adjusting said rails and said truckstoward or away from each other.

5. In apparatus comprising mechanism for removing sheets from a stackthereof, and a plunger for raising the stack adjacent said mechanism, atrackway extending to the path of said plunger, carriage structuremovable along said trackway to transport a stack of sheets to loadingposition above said plunger, and guide means mounted on said carriagestructure for maintaining alignment of the sheets of said stack.

6. In apparatus comprising mechanism for removing sheets from a stackthereof, and a plung er for raising the stack adjacent said mechanism, apair of rails, one on either side of the path of said plunger, 2, pairof trucks, one on each of said rails, a member bridging said trucks tosupport a stack of sheets for transport to loading position above saidplunger, stack guides individual to said trucks, and means forsimultaneously adjusting said rails, said trucks and said guides towardor away from each other.

7. In apparatus comprising mechanism for removing sheets from a stackthereof, and a plunger for raising the stack adjacent said mechanism, apair of rails, one on either side of the path of said plunger, means forsupporting a stack of sheets movable along said rails to transport thestack of sheets to loading position above said plunger, guides forengaging opposite sides of the stack when in loading position carried bysaid rails, and means for adjusting said rails toward and from eachother and for simultaneously adjusting said guides.

8. In apparatus comprising mechanism for re moving sheets from a stackthereof, and a plunger for raising the stack adjacent said mechanism,

supporting structure above the stack, and stationary guide memberscarried by said supporting structure for engaging the rear corners ofthe top sheets of the stack when raised by said plunger for removal ofsaid sheets by said mechanism.

9. In apparatus comprising mechanism for removing sheets from a stackthereof, and a plunger for raising the stack adjacent said mechanism, atrackway extending to the path of said plunger, structure movable alongsaid trackway to transport a stack of sheets beneath said guides toloading position above said plunger, supporting means outside of thepath of said movable stacksupporting structure, and stationary guidemembers carried by said supporting means and positioned thereby abovethe path of the stack when moved with said stack-supporting structurealong said trackway and adapted to engage the rear corners of the topsheets of the stack when it is raised by said plunger for removal ofsaid sheets by said mechanism.

10. In apparatus comprising mechanism for removing sheets from a stackthereof, and a plunger for raising the stack adjacent said mechanism,stack guide structure adjacent the path of said plunger, a pair ofrails, one on either side of the path of said plunger, a pair of trucks,one on each of said rails, and a detachable member bridging said trucksto support a stack of sheets during forward movement 01 said trucks toposition the stack above said plunger for elevation thereby and with thefront of the stack against said guide structure, said trucks beingdevoid of interconnecting structure which is beyond or in the path ofsaid plunger when said trucks are in said stack elevating position.

11. In apparatus comprising mechanism for removing sheets from a stackthereof, and a plunger for raising the stack adjacent said mechanism,stack guide structure adjacent the path of said plunger, a pair ofrails, one on either side of the path of said plunger, a pair of trucks,one on each of said rails, a detachable member for bridging said trucksto support a stack of sheets during forward movement of said trucks toposition the stack above said plunger for elevation thereby and with thefront of the stack aga nst said guide structure, and structure forinterconnecting said trucks disposed, for all positions of said trucks,entirely to one side of the path of movement of said structure.

ERNEST G. RIDER.

